Thailand discloses 200 Zika virus cases, says tourism may take a hit

The Thai health ministry said on Tuesday that it has recorded about 200 cases of Zika virus infection since January, making it a country with one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the region.

"Since January, we have recorded about 200 cases and over the past three weeks, we have confirmed an average of 20 new cases per week," Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters.

"The number of cases is stable," he added.

This is the first time the ministry has confirmed the number of Zika virus cases in 2016.

The announcement comes a day after the health experts urged Thailand to be more transparent in reporting the Zika threat to the public.

The health officials expressed fear that disclosing information on Zika would have a negative impact on the lucrative tourism industry of Thailand.

"If we say which province has infections [of Zika] then attention will turn on that province, and if that province is popular with tourists it will have an impact on tourism," Anuttarasakdi Ratchatatat, an epidemiologist at the health ministry's Bureau of Vector Borne Disease, told Reuters.